


You Can't Fix Everything

by Progman



Series: Spin the Rails [3]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/F, Gap Filler, Heartache, Not A Fix-It, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-12
Updated: 2014-10-12
Packaged: 2018-02-20 20:08:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2441375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Progman/pseuds/Progman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Asami always considered herself as a mechanic of sorts. If something was broken, she could fix it. After two years of no contact, Korra finally writes her, and only her, a letter. In it, she describes that part of her is broken. Maybe it was the whiskey, or the shock of Korra's vulnerability, but Asami decides that she's going to fix everything. Well, try anyway.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Can't Fix Everything

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place _immediately_ following the events of Seeking Sato Chapter 18. I've taken the liberty of adapting the back bit of that chapter into my own style, so it still should be interesting to read as things do indeed change. The major elements are the same, but the dialogue and internal focus are portrayed differently. Because, we...write in different styles.
> 
> Anyway, this was the biggest hurdle for Project ASS (Asami Sato Epic), but with diligent work we managed to work it out! And honestly the end result is a lot more interesting than the original. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Asami stared at the ceiling, debating whether or not she should just wrap herself in her comforter and hide until the sun went down. She had just done something very, _very_ stupid. And selfish.

Stupid and selfish.

She had slept with her publicist. Of all the people she could have reached out to in search of solace she _knew_ she wouldn’t find, Ginni had to have been one of the worst options. Not that Asami’s list was particularly long, for that matter, but the point remained.

Asami was stupid and selfish. And she didn’t even feel---there was just nothing. No sense of catharsis or release at even the most basic level. Which wasn’t Ginni’s fault; no, she did...many things exceptionally.

Apparently, that included sex.

Asami rested her hand on her forehead once she felt Ginni stir on the other side of the bed. It was stress. It was just stress. Stress clouded judgement. Grief clouded judgement. Anger clouded judgement. Two years of unrequited pining over Korra clouded---

“Asami?” Ginni placed a hand at her side.

Asami jolted upright and cleared her throat. “We…” She took care not to make eye contact. If she did, Asami wasn’t sure what she’d do. But it would almost certainly be stupid. And selfish. Again. “That shouldn’t have happened.”

“I think---”

“No.” Asami slipped out of the bed and found her pants, pulling them back on. She could find her underwear later. “It shouldn’t have happened.”

Ginni huffed. “See, and here I had you pegged as being one for pillow-talk.”

“I’m your boss, Ginni.” Asami bit her lip and searched for her shirt. Which she couldn’t find, because _why should anything be that easy_. “It was stupid and unprofessional.”

“It’s almost fitting that the one time you seem to truly _care_ about your image is the afterglow.” Ginni rolled her eyes and propped herself up on the bed. “As the person in charge of said image, it’s a welcome change of pace. Not exactly the most apt of times, but the important part is that, apparently, you are _that_ committed to professionalism. Which is...good.”

Asami found her shirt by the foot of her desk and pulled it on, keeping her back to the bed. “Clean out your desk by tomorrow morning. You can’t stay on. I---” She sighed. “That’s how this has go.”

“No, I’d advise against that.”

Asami turned to her, confident that hiding her own shame was enough to make sure she didn’t do anything stupid again. Or selfish. “Your work has been exemplary. But now it’s over. It _has_ to be over. We can’t---” Asami pinched her brow. “We can’t work together.”

“No no, I don’t think _firing_ me will play well with the press corps.” Ginni sat up and grabbed her glasses from the nightstand, putting them. “I’m too good, as you’ve said. People will ask questions, and then eventually the right questions. And I doubt you want anyone digging into it.”

“No one saw anything. It’s not a concern.”

“Believe me, Asami. Someone _always_ sees something.”

Asami narrowed her eyes. “Are you trying to blackmail me?”

Ginni held up her palms. “No! No, of course not. I’d--- I’m just saying you don’t want people asking about my sudden and inexplicable departure, arlight? I’m trying to help you.”

"And your definition of help is that you get to keep being my publicist? Keep your job?" Asami shook her head. “No chance. If that’s what you---”

“Asami!” Ginni gave her a tired look. “I’m going to _resign_.”

“Oh. That...is better.”

“Yes, I know. Just let me find something else first, okay?” She ran a hand through her hair. “I’ll say...that your company’s image is too good now or something. That I need a challenge.” She turned her head away and glanced out the window. “It’s not entirely a lie.”

“I---thank you. That would be quite helpful.” Asami gathered up some of Ginni’s clothes and placed them on the foot of the bed. She took a small breath. “I’m sorry.”

Ginni quickly turned back. “Sorry?”

"For assuming you’d try and extort me when I really should know better than that." Asami massaged her temples. “And for this. Just...all of this. Today.”

“You act like I was an unwilling participant. I knew what this would mean.”

Asami felt a chill and suddenly wanted to both cry and take Ginni---no. Once was a mistake. Twice would be weakness. And she could always cry later. “I’m sure you won’t have trouble finding something else.” She turned away from the bed. “Finding a replacement for you is another story.”

Ginni must have got the message, because when Asami looked back, she was already half-way dressed. She caught Asami’s eye. “I can help out with that. I know a few up-and-comers.” She edged towards the foot of the bed and began to pull her boots on. “Look, Asami. I know it’s not my place—though frankly whatever my place was doesn’t matter anymore—but have you ever just considered telling her? You’re walking around keeping this in like some giant ball of stress. And clearly your coping mechanisms aren’t working for you.”

Asami folded her hands across her chest. “That’s hardly the only stress in my life.”

“I know, but it’s more that you’re…” Ginni paused. “You’re isolated.”

“Really.” Asami narrowed her eyes. “Even with Katsu taking on a larger role I’m still meeting with upwards of twenty people on a given day. Delegation _isn’t_ autonomy.”

“I meant emotionally isolated.”

Asami almost bit in her tongue, resisting the urge to snap and scream at Ginni. Or to kiss her again. She had been a good kisser, among other things---stop. Asami looked down before answering. “I’m going to be more careful about my exercise, I promise. No more stress fractures. But let’s not talk about this.”

Ginni stood and gave her a searching look. “I'm just worried about you.”

“Well.” Asami swallowed. “Then, I think it’s time you stopped. That’s not your job anymore.”

“Got it.” Ginni nodded, slowly. “I can see myself out.” As she made to leave the room, she stopped in the doorway and looked back. “You know, you may think you’re great at keeping your own counsel, but if today wasn’t a wake-up call then I don’t know what will be.” She sighed. “Look, if you don’t do something, change something---you’re _going_ to snap. I just hope you aim...wisely, if it comes to that. Then again, like you said, not my problem. Not my job.” She shook her head. “For what it’s worth, I am sorry that this was so clearly distressing for you.”

“Ginni---” Asami started, but the publicist walked out of the room. And she made no effort to follow her.

Asami sighed and tied her hair back. If sleeping with her publicist wasn’t considered _snapping,_ then what possibly could be? Though, perhaps Ginni had not been the worst choice for this kind of...mistake. She was gone, and Asami could trust that she wouldn’t stab her in the back.

Ginni was _far_ too good at her job to resort to such tactics.

The intercom buzzed throughout her penthouse, and Asami’s mind snapped back into place.  It was rare for Anju, her secretary, to ever use it, reserving it only for visitors deemed important enough. Asami crossed to the box by the front door and pressed the button. “Is everything okay?”

“ _Yes,_ ” said Anju, her voice cracking through the speaker. “ _It’s just that there are two members of the White Lotus here to see you._ ”

The White Lotus? Why would they need to speak with her in person---Oh no. No, no. The wingsuits. Something must have went wrong with the wingsuits. It hadn’t even been a month since the press conference! “I’ll be right down.”

Her elevator was still stationed on a lower floor thanks to Ginni’s departure, so Asami---right. Asami thankfully remembered to make herself look presentable before she barrelled down the fire stairs like a maniac.

Still, once she’d put _proper_ clothes back on and fixed her makeup, she ended up opting to take the fire stairs, forcing herself not to sprint. No sooner had she reached the reception area than she spotted them, one leaning against Anju’s desk.

“Hello,” she said, the smallest hint of unease in her voice, crossing the room as they both straightened. “Is something wrong? Is it the wingsuits? Did we miss something in the testing? Bumi was injured three months ago, but I was sure the magnetic snaps resolved it, unless we haven’t been careful enough screening the metal for impurities—”

One of the guards held up his hands in defense, eyes wide. The other patted her on her shoulder. "No, no, nothing like that, Miss Sato. As far as we've heard the wingsuits are working exceedingly well."

"Oh, well...good.” Asami cleared her throat. “That’s good.”

"Yes, it is good, I suppose. But that's not why we're here…" He dug into his bag and handed her an envelope sealed with the sigil of the White Lotus. "We have a letter for you, and we thought it best to deliver it personally.”

Asami took the envelope. The address was for her estate. Odd. Aside from the semi-routine sojourns to her workshop, she hadn’t lived there in almost two years. “Thank you. I’m not sure when I would have found this if you hadn’t.” Upon closer inspection, there wasn’t a return address. “Who is it from?”

“Who do you _think_ it’s from?” one of the guards asked, incredulously. “Xai Bau?”

The other guard smacked him across the back of the head. “Lee. Don’t be rude.” He turned to Asami. “I apologize for his behavior, Miss Sato. It’s from the Avatar.”

Asami stared at the letter for a moment. She’d written Korra everyday, for two years. It had become a ritual, but not _once_ had she received a response. To her knowledge, no one had aside from Tenzin. And even then, that was all second-hand from Tonraq.  
“I---” For a brief moment, Asami heard Ginni’s voice creep up in the back of her mind to say...something, but she quickly silenced it. That was over. She was gone. Nothing else mattered right then. “It’s alright. I suppose that would have been a fair assumption to make.”

"Even so, that---"

"That will be all, thank you!" Asami smiled and slipped back into her private elevator, jamming her thumb into her penthouse button and forcing herself not to keep everything together until she was at least out of earshot. The ride back up to her home was...torturous. She held the letter up to the light and squinted, not daring to open it until she was in private. But she couldn't help but wonder what the letter could be about.

Which wasn't the wisest decision, as she soon realized. What if she was dead? What if she was writing to say she was never coming back? What if she didn't want Asami to write to her anymore---

The doors slid open with a ding, and Asami practically flew into her home office. She frantically poured herself a glass of whiskey from one of her rather large collection of decanters and took a deep breath.

"Okay. Two years. I can do this," she whispered. She took a long pull from her drink and tenderly broke the seal on the envelope. She slid the letter out, unfolded it, and felt her eyes sweep through the words like a starving animal.

_Dear Asami,_

_I'm sorry I haven't written to you sooner, but every time I've tried I never knew what to say. The past two years have been the hardest of my life. Even though I can get around fine, now, I still can't go into the Avatar State. I keep having visions of Zaheer and what happened that day. Katara thinks a lot of this is in my head so I've been meditating a lot, but sometimes I worry I'll never fully recover._

_Please don't tell Mako and Bolin I wrote to you and not them. I don't want to hurt their feelings, but it's easier to tell you about this stuff._

_I don't think they'd understand._

_Korra_

Asami blinked. She'd expected...more. Not necessarily a grand epic, or a tome of all of her adventures, but, well  _something a little more substantial_. But then, that never really was Korra's way of doing things. She was blunt and direct, and Asami had always appreciated that. She read the letter over a few more times, drinking more and more between readings.

It took her about an hour to process it all. The sheer magnitude of it. Korra had gotten hundreds of letters from her, Mako and Bolin. She responded once. To her. And she also tried to do so many, many times beforehand. Her pride and shame had gotten in the way. The amount of strength she must have had to summon to be that vulnerable, and for her eyes only...it was unknowable.

Korra had trusted her with something she wasn't even sure she had the privilege of knowing. Her nightmares, they would fade in time. Asami knew that from personal experience.

The truth was that she  _did_  understand. She'd been thrown from her highest point of success and strength all the way down to homelessness and disgrace in a matter of days. After that, she built herself back up, taking back all that she'd lost and more. In a way, all of that pain had been good for her. It made her stronger.

Korra hadn't been able to do that. She'd been  _stuck_  in the same state for two years. For two years, she'd been struggling, hitting the same wall over and over again with everything she was  _something_  blocking her second wind, her sense of upward momentum.

Progress.

Asami fought back a sob as her eyes began to burn. She wasn't going to break. Not from that. She had to do something. She had to distract herself before she thought too hard about Korra's sense of hopelessness and despair.

As a rule, Korra didn't ask for help. It wasn't in her nature. Yet, she had reached out to Asami in a way she hadn't with anyone else, and...it really sort of read like she was asking for help, but didn't know how. Asami was an tinkerer. An inventor. An engineer. A mechanic. She excelled at three things in life. Business, hand-to-hand combat, and fixing things.

If it was broken, she could fix it, so that's what she intended to do. Even if it was impossible, she had to try. She couldn't just sit by and run her company while Korra suffered.

Maybe she was a little tipsy, and maybe she had read a little too much into that letter, but Asami didn't care. Korra was in pain, one she knew all too well, and needed help she'd never ask for.

Something had to be done.

The first thing she needed to do, she decided, was to answer one important question.

"...what is the Avatar State, anyway?" Asami scrunched her face and drew out a quick, angular sketch of Korra in the Avatar State. At first, she thought to draw her throwing mountains at Zaheer, but then decided against it. She settled on her spinning Mako around in a water spout.

Asami snickered to herself. Though, that was the  _external_  result of the Avatar State. Internally, it was a total mystery to her. She furrowed her brow and walked across the hall to her library. She quickly found old medical texts and books on chakra pathways, having brought them over from the estate, which she realized were probably only there to combat benders. Because of course they were. She decided to start with the chakras, as the only thing she knew about them was that they were important for everyone, but especially for benders.

"Okay, seven chakras. One for each nation, sound, light, and thought," mumbled Asami. "This is really not my strong suit." The picture that was provided helped her visualize the concept, and she was grateful. It looked a lot like fleshy, smaller skeleton inside of a person.

She already knew that bending strength was, to a degree, related to chakra pathways, and that Korra was impossibly stronger while in the Avatar State. Perhaps her Chakra points had something to do with it. Korra was an extremely physical person, so it was possible.

Asami opened a medical text beside the other book and flipped to a picture detailing the interior human anatomy. She furrowed her brow and looked between the two. They had the same silhouette and shape. They were _the same thing_.

Obviously, she was not the first person to discover this. That would be absurd. But, in this context, perhaps she was. How many individuals across history had ever had the benefit of  _studying_ the Avatar to any capacity?

Asami grabbed the two texts and walked back to her office. She flipped the page on her large sketch board and put the two texts on the desk next to her, the pictures easily within view. That time, Asami drew Korra in...exceedingly accurate detail. She wasn't really sure how she did that. She added a few inches in height, and made her shoulders a little broader, too. Two years was a long time. Then, she drew her in profile and from the back.

"Let's see, base of the spine," she said, double checking the picture in the book. She marked the first chakra, and her entire head turned red once she found out where the second chakra, Water, was located. "This...may not have been the best idea…" She bit her lip and labeled it anyway, just below her abdomen. She proceeded with the rest and once she was finished she stepped back from her board. She skipped the thought chakra, as it wouldn't be efficient or aesthetically pleasing to have part of the suit extend to the forehead.

Asami stared her work for a long time, brows furrowed in thought. She knew how to temporarily block chakra paths, chi blocking was still very much common knowledge, but to do the opposite was...relaxation, perhaps? Electrical stimulation wouldn't work, and extended use would cause burns. Heat would be redundant, and pressure wouldn't do it either.

Then, it clicked.

Acupuncture. It dealt directly with pressure points, chi and chakras pathways. It was also hard to forget Chief Bei Fong smiling after a single session. Smiling. Asami quickly drew a relatively skin tight suit over Korra, similar in design to the wingsuits she'd made for the Air Nation, and began detailing the acupuncture nodes.

She'd have to make it herself, and to the perfect dimensions, and somehow compensate for all of Korra's moving. Some sort of adaptive system that moved with her, not against her.

She'd need a test dummy.

* * *

Mako's apartment was just as she'd remembered it. Which was interesting, considering the new one he was renting was almost identical to the one he had before it became a vine habitat. Then again, that was very much a Mako thing to do, in Asami's opinion. A stable, constant home. It was also clean, proper and almost completely void of the colorful personality that Bolin had once blessed it with. She knew he'd grown up in a very minimalist fashion, so it made sense for him not to take great pride in decorating. Still, though, it wouldn't have killed him to hang up some pictures or fixtures.  _Something_.

"Explain to me again how you roped me into this, exactly?" grumbled Mako, carefully slipping into the skintight suit that Asami had spent the past two weeks designing and slaving over. "Also, what is it exactly that I'm doing? You just said that you needed help testing a new prototype, said you'd be here in an hour, and then hung up."

Asami quickly snapped the locks of the suit in place and readjusted the tiny acupuncture tips. She ignored Mako's hissing. "That's exactly what you're doing. Testing a new prototype. I can't tell you what it is because it's a special order from a customer who wished to remain anonymous."

"Why can't you test it, then?"

"I'm not a bender."

"And you're sure it has nothing to do with the thing right next to my-"

"Absolutely."

Mako was silent for a moment, but then nodded. "Okay. I've got the suit on. Now what?"

Asami took out a notebook and tapped her pen against the paper. "I want you to firebend, and describe to me if it feels more...open. Freeing. Fluid. If it's easier, or more difficult. Really, if you feel anything different, let me know."

"Gotcha. Bending booster suit." Mako created a small flame in his hand, which very quickly expanded to a fireball. His eyes grew wide as he swatted his hand, cutting off the fire. "That was...yeah, easier. More natural, actually. Definitely more fluid." He punched a small fire ball, then a larger one, and then pushed himself off of the ground with his flames with far too much force. He landed in a heap, groaning. Thankfully, his floor was almost entirely barren, so the only thing he broke was himself. Besides the dent in the ceiling, of course.

"Ow."

Asami winced and helped him to his feet. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just a bruise." He rolled his shoulder, testing it. "Everything is significantly easier to pull off. So, control is sort of an issue."

Asami scribbled his thoughts down on paper. "How much of an issue?"

"Uhhh…" He looked out the window. "Watch." He took a small breath and then shot the single largest bolt of lightning she'd ever seen out the window. It seared the clouds blue and cracked the sky.

Asami gaped. "Oh."

"Yeah. I think that might only be a problem for firebenders, though. It's a little harder to...overdo the other elements. At least, that's my understanding of it."

Asami shrugged. "I wouldn't know, but that's very good feedback. Do you think you'd be able to adjust to it, or is it just a constant stream of energy?"

"If I practiced enough, I could probably adjust to it, yeah."

Asami furrowed her brow. "Wear it for a week."

Mako whistled. "This has got to be one important client. Either that, or they are paying you a lot."

Asami bit her lip and put her notebook back in her bag. "A little of both. How about it, Mako? Wear that thing for a week and report back?"

"Sure, why not. It might be fun to give the Agni Kais a run for their money."

* * *

Mako stood on her front step with half of his clothes burned off and several bright tears in the acupuncture suit. "It needs...work."

Asami's eyes widened as she lead him inside and closed the door. "No kidding. What happened? Are you okay?"

"I set myself on fire and couldn't stop."

"'Needs work' might be a bit of an understatement, then."

"Yeah…"

* * *

Chief Beifong looked at her quizzically. "You want me to wear  _what_  under my armor?

Asami smiled and unfolded the second version of her acupuncture suit. She used a new material to make it flame retardant and insulated against the cold. "It's a... _bending enhancement_  jumpsuit. I've only been able to test it on firebenders so far-"

"Oh, that makes so much more sense." The Chief laughed once. "I'll tell yah, kid, I've seen a lot of things, but I never thought I'd see a firebender actually  _light himself on fire_  before Mako pulled that stunt. That was the suit, wasn't it? He nearly burned down headquarters! If it wasn't so funny, I'd have fired him on the spot. Well, that and he's way too good a detective to let go."

"That was the old version, this new one is flame retardant, resistant to the cold, and...well, I don't know earthbending works but, it's a bit hard to hit yourself with rocks, right?"

"You'd be surprised." She chuckled. "Okay, I'll test this suit thing for you, but only if you tell me how you managed to make a universal bending enhancement suit without knowing anything about the art."

"Chakra."

The Chief raised a brow and then shrugged. "Makes about as much sense as anything else. How long you want it on me?"

Asami smiled. "A week would be best, Chief."

"Then a week it is."

* * *

Asami sat in her office, finalizing a few alterations for the wingsuits. She wasn't sure why Tenzin insisted on snack compartments, but it wasn't her job to question the customer. Her phone rang and she picked up the receiver.

"Hello?"

" _SATO!_ "

Asami screwed up her face and stared into the receiver. "Chief?"

" _Your stupid suit made me tear up my apartment and metalbend a city block of everything! You're paying for the damages! I already had the thing shipped to your house, so don't come looking for it._ " With that, the Chief hung up so violently that Asami could feel it.

Asami scribbled a few things down in her notebook. She needed to ensure the user had more control, because clearly it wasn't just a firebending problem. "Waterbending should fare better. But just in case it doesn't..."

Asami grinned. She knew the perfect test subject.

* * *

Tahno, who had very rudely appeared in her office unannounced, handed back the third generation jumpsuit, now designed with an emergency pull-string that retracted the tiny acupuncture nodes. It was so soggy it may as well have been used a mop.

"I nearly drowned myself last night, Sato. I was pulling water out of the air. I didn't even know I could do that." He huffed. "This thing, this  _crazy thing_ , it needs work."

Asami sniffed the suit. It smelled foul. She made a face of disgust and took a step back from him. "Eugh, where were you last-" She blinked. "Nevermind, I'd rather not know."

"Heh." He flipped his hair. "Your loss."

* * *

Air Temple Island was dizzyingly busy, which only made Asami smile. Airbenders trained, meditated, and went off to right wrongs wherever they were needed. There must have been a hundred people scurrying around the island. It was a far cry from the dozen or so acolytes that used to populate it, along with Tenzin's family.

The Air Nation had finally, truly, returned. In a larger sense, Asami wasn't too emotionally invested in the big picture of that concept. It was how happy it made Tenzin, Korra and the rest of her friends that made her emotionally invested. She was proud for their success, not their miraculous return.

Jinora had met her at the docks, and Asami's eyes widened as she saw the airbending master. Her hair was stuck straight up like she'd been electrocuted and she had the biggest grin she'd ever seen.

"It's a marvel of engineering, Asami! Only problem is...once you get going, you can't really stop. I almost blew the roofs off an entire village," said Jinora. She handed Asami the neatly folded suit.

"You don't mean at the same time, do you?"

Jinora shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a master."

Asami scowled and hugged the suit to her chest. "Well, that's it, then. Thanks for your help, Jinora. I'll have to shelve this thing until I can figure out a way for the wearer to have better control. It's way too dangerous." She cleared her head, refusing to think about how she had just failed, fantastically, to help her friend.

Jinora smoothed out her hair back to it's normal arrangement. "Actually, I think there might actually be a use for it, Asami. No normal bender would be able to control that much raw power, but it's possible that Korra could. She's very familiar with that level of bending." She tilted her head. "Well, it's either that, or it would kill her. She's still human, and even she has her limits."

Asami looked out over Yue Bay and sighed softly. The morning sun glistened off of the calm expanse of water. Her invention could help, but it might very well also be the bitter end to her friend. No, her best friend. "I...that's not worth the risk. I don't want to lose her."

"No one does, Asami. What gave you the idea to make this, anyway?"

Asami cleared her throat turned back to Jinora. "Uh, well, I honestly can't remember. I think I was studying up on how bending worked, since I spend so much time around benders and I never really bothered to learn the methods behind it, and the idea just...popped into my head."

Jinora raised a brow and crossed her arms. "You're not very good at lying to your friends, Asami. If you don't want to tell me, that's okay. Just don't lie to me, alright?" She smiled.

Asami smiled sadly in return and bowed her head. "I'm sorry, you're right. It's just...I don't feel comfortable telling anyone that. It's for a good cause, though, I promise." She looked down at her impractical, potentially life threatening suit. "Well, it was, anyway."

"It's the thought that counts, Asami. I'm sure they'll understand that."

"I hope they do."

* * *

Asami had packed all of the design documents and prototype suits into a box, which she had then stored in a deep, dark corner of her basement. Just in case it came in handy in the future, or she figured out a way to make it work.

She sat at her desk and stared at a blank piece of her stationery. She wasn't sure what to say. She'd spent six months of her life pouring her heart and soul into that project, only to have nothing to show for it. Of course, Asami had gone through that experience before. Multiple times. Some ideas just didn't work, and she knew that. That time was different, though.

It was a labor of love and compassion that ended in failure. She couldn't help Korra, even though she'd technically never asked for it. She had to sit, wait, and hope that her best friend was able to heal on her own. She'd written Korra long, inspiring speeches before. Long stories about how she was able to overcome adversity, and what worked for her when the pain was too great a burden to bare. How she coped, how she recovered. How it made her a better person, and that dragging yourself out of mud is always worth the effort, no matter how difficult.

Asami knew that wasn't going to help anymore. It wasn't what Korra needed. No inspiration or eloquent tales of triumph. She needed something simple, honest, and from the heart. And so Asami wrote just that. She folded it up and sealed it in an envelope, grinning all the way to her mailbox. If she couldn't fix Korra's block, she could at least make her laugh.

After all, laughter was supposedly the best medicine.

* * *

Korra read the return address on the envelope a few more times. Asami Sato. Asami Sato. Asami Sato. She hadn't received a letter from her in six months and was starting to feel like she'd strained their friendship to the breaking point by asking her to keep her reply a secret from Mako and Bolin. She didn't regret replying to Asami, and  _only_  Asami, but she'd made herself vulnerable, and she hated doing that.

 

She sat sat down and leaned her back against Naga, her warm fur calming her down. There was no need to panic. She was probably just really busy and needed time to think out her words. Asami thought stuff through, that's what she did. Nothing to worry about.

Korra took a deep breath and rubbed Naga's belly. "Alright, Naga. Let's see what Asami thinks of me. At least  _you'll_  still love me no matter what, right girl?"

Naga barked and wagged her tail. That meant yes.

"Good girl. Okay, here goes nothing." Korra carefully opened the envelope, unfolded the letter and read it. In a matter of seconds, she was both crying and laughing hysterically. She clutched her stomach, unable to keep her balance as she dug her face into Naga's belly. Her entire body shook from overwhelming surge of emotion, as she simply couldn't stop laughing nor stop the tears from pouring down her cheeks.

_Dear Korra,_

_I understand._

_I miss you._

_Asami_

_P.S. Through a series of events that I cannot divulge, Mako accidentally set himself on fire and nearly burnt down the RCPD headquarters, Lin unintentionally tore up an entire city block, Tahno nearly drowned himself, and Jinora almost lifted a village into the sky._

_P.P.S. Mako is fine._

It took her the better part of an hour to calm herself down, which had the unfortunate side effect of letting her pain and exhaustion creep in and consume her again. She couldn't remember the last time she'd truly felt anything besides anger and...nothing. Asami had, somehow, managed to accomplish something her parents, Katara, and Naga hadn't been able to do.

The contrast between the simple heartfelt response to Korra laying her soul bare and  _Mako lighting himself on fire_  was the perfect emotional jump-start. Maybe that was what she'd needed. A surprise. Something that caught her so off guard that it broke through the barriers she'd been erecting since she---since that day.

Korra wiped her eyes and rubbed Naga's belly. "Asami is really one of a kind, isn't she girl?"

Naga gave her a big, sloppy kiss on the cheek. "Wow, you miss her  _that_  much, huh?"

Naga tilted her head and sniffed the air, staring directly at Korra.

Korra raised a brow. "Oh, you want to get into _this_ again, huh? Look, it's been two and a half years I really don't think---"

Naga whined. 

"Maybe. I guess we'll just have to---"

Naga panted and danced around the room for a moment. She settled at her feet and wagged her tail. She scratched Naga's head, smiling.

"Ohhkay, girl, I get it. You're---you're right. There's nothing else I can do here to help myself. I need a change of scenery or I'll never get past this block." She shrugged. "Republic City seems like as good a place as any. Maybe being in the center of things, seeing everyone again, will do me some good. Something might just 'click' for all I know." She frowned. "But...I don't think you should come with me."

Naga whined and tapped her forehead with her nose.

"Yeah, that's exactly why. I need to clear my head, and as much as I love you, I need to prove to myself that I can do this on my own. I just need this. You understand, don't you?"

Naga moaned and snuggled up beside her, closing her eyes. Korra gave her a big hug around her neck as she rubbed her fur.

"Yeah, you understand. You always have, girl. You always have."

**Author's Note:**

> As a helpful reminder: this story is part of a larger series by Ficsandmusings and myself. If you'd like to find out what happens next, please click the **NEXT Work** button just below this passage. It's on the right.
> 
> Also, kudos and feedback are always appreciated. Even if it's just a tiny little note saying one word, it'd mean everything to hear from you.


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